00:00I see this as an overdue but necessary measure, but actually only a minimum step.
00:09We can't see working with children checks as actually a magic bullet that makes people a safe person.
00:17It only detects people who have already committed a crime.
00:21So absolutely necessary to close that loophole, but there is still more to do.
00:28Is it logistically difficult to do? I mean, it does beg the question why it wasn't being done already.
00:34Ten years is a very long time between the recommendation from the Royal Commission and action.
00:39It is logistically difficult. We have a scheme in every state and territory.
00:45I currently have four working with children checks.
00:48They all have different requirements, different inclusion and exclusion criteria,
00:53and some states have what we call continuous monitoring.
00:57That means if a person who held a working with children check was charged with a crime today,
01:03then the police system would automatically let the working with children authority know on their card would be suspended.
01:11Not all states have that continuous monitoring.
01:14So one of the things that have to be addressed is that actually we have national consistency and continuous monitoring nationally.
01:23I return to it again because I do find it staggering.
01:26As you say, it was 2015 the Royal Commission recommended this.
01:29The Coalition admits it dropped the ball.
01:31I mean, have you got any answers as to why it has taken so long?
01:36I can only speculate. I'm not in the government.
01:40But my speculation is that each state and territory in a federation can think that they're right,
01:47that their scheme is the best scheme and not want to compromise.
01:51When it comes to the safety of children, we do actually need to get past the gaps in federation
01:58and bring together a national system that does meet a minimum threshold
02:03so that we don't have this postcode lottery for children in Australia.
02:08Leah, do you think in a way this was somewhat of a missed opportunity
02:12with all these attorneys general getting together and they've really only made one announcement?
02:18I do, actually.
02:20The Royal Commission made, to me, what was a more important recommendation
02:25and that was a recommendation for 10 principles for child safe organisations.
02:30Working with children checks is one of those principles about adequate screening.
02:35But the 10 principles also talk to strong leadership.
02:40They talk to adequate training, a range of measures,
02:45and really for us to be confident as parents that our kids are safe in organisations.
02:51Those 10 child safe principles, in my view, should be mandatory in all organisations
02:56that are serving Australian children.
02:58And one of the suggestions from the Children's Commissioner, Anne Hollands,
03:01I mean, she has been calling for a long time.
03:04One would have thought it would be a pretty straightforward thing.
03:07A minister for children?
03:10Yes.
03:11Well, I support the National Children's Commissioner's call for a minister for children.
03:16But right now I think our Attorney Generals do have an opportunity
03:20to implement those 10 child safe principles
03:23and I would welcome if they were to come into law in all states and territories.
03:27Again, it's a postcode lottery.
03:29In some states it's a requirement and in other states it's not.
03:33Leah, this is a really difficult question and there's not a definitive answer,
03:37but people will look at what has been said today and say,
03:40would these changes that have been announced have made any difference
03:44to what we've been talking about over the past few weeks in childcare centres?
03:49The answer is actually no.
03:52The issue that we saw in Victoria, that person held a working with children check.
03:58I believe that implementation, strong implementation and oversight of the 10 child safe principles
04:05could have made a difference.
04:07We could have had the requirement for good referee checking as part of that process.
04:14So to me, working with children checks are not enough.
04:17The other thing I think is really important to remember is prevention.
04:21We absolutely have to focus on that.
04:24But we have had a whole new population of children who've been really harmed.
04:29And in Australia, we also know that we don't have enough services for children who have experienced abuse and neglect.
04:36So we have to focus on prevention.
04:39But we also have to make sure that there are places for these children and their families to go to,
04:44to be able to access counselling and support.
04:46And I'm not confident that that is the case.
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